Who We Are

Mission

UHAB empowers low- to moderate-income residents to take control of their housing and enhance communities by creating strong tenant associations and lasting affordable co-ops.

History

The Urban Homesteading Assistance Board was founded in the midst of New York City’s economic crisis of the 1970s.

While landlords abandoned their buildings en masse, the city found itself with more than 11,000 buildings on hand and no idea what to do with them. UHAB became a voice for the residents living in those buildings – longtime New Yorkers who had no intention of leaving.

Turning buildings over to the residents began as an experimental idea. But soon the city was convinced it could be sustained. The first year UHAB offered training in Harlem, 200 buildings learned how to cooperatively govern and operate their own buildings.

We have only grown since then.

Since 1973 UHAB has assisted in the preservation of more than 1,600 buildings and created homeownership opportunities for more than 30,000 households.

Over the years, we have developed an intimate knowledge of New York City’s low-income co-op community. We are experts in meeting the needs of that community. Our work is unmatched by any other organization.

Today, New York City has the largest community of shared-equity housing co-ops in the country.